Connecting clip



April 1935- R. s. MUELLER ET AL r 1,999,613

CONNECTING CLIP Filed Aug. 1, 1954 INVENTORS 5 I 7 591.1% 5. Musuez BY Scorr NUELLEfi' ATTORNEYS atented Apr. 30,1935

UNITED STATES ship, composed of Ralph S. Mueller, Maude K. Mueller, Virginia de Coningh, and Scott Mueller Application August 1, 1934, Serial No. 737,956

1 Claim.

This invention relates to an electrical connecting clip of the hinged jaw type.

An object of the invention is to provide an electrical connecting clip of the hinged jaw type which is so constructed that it may be readily and economically assembled and when so assembled will have its jaws maintained in the proper relationship and the danger of said jaws twisting or becoming relatively offset will be reduced to a minimum.

Another object is to provide an electrical connecting clip of the hinged jaw type wherein the hinged connection between the clip members may be economically and positively made, the clip members may be interlocked to prevent relative twisting or offsetting thereof, and said members will have the desired and necessary strength to properly perform their functions.

A further object is to provide a clamp member of the character above specified and having elongated thin jaws to enable the clip to be applied in inaccessible places, such as are found in radios and the like, and which possesses the advantages above enumerated and additionally, has the advantage that the elongated thin jaws are so formed as to have sufficient strength to resist the torsional, bending, and other strains and stresses to which they are subjected, because of their extreme length.

Further objects and advantages residing in the invention will become apparent hereinafter during the detailed description of two embodiments thereof which is to follow.

In the accompanying drawing are illustrated the two embodiments of the invention above enumerated.

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a connecting clip embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the clip shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3' is a detailed sectional view taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a detailed sectional view taken substantially on line 4-4 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of a different form of clip from that shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inelusive, and also embodies certain aspects of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a detailed sectional view taken substantially on line 6-6 of Fig. 5 looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the clip shown i Fig. 5.

The electrical connecting clip shown in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, is provided with elongated relatively narrow jaws to enable the clip to be applied at points which are inaccessible to the ordinary short jawed clip. Clips of this type are frequently required in making connections in radios and the like. The clip comprises two clip members ill and H, preferably formed of sheet metal stampings. The clip member Ill is provided with a rearward extension l2 having formed thereon a tubular and longitudinally split portion l3 through which the electrical conductor extends. The member In forwardly of the extension l 2 is provided with an opening into which is screwed a binding screw M which may clamp the end of the conductor to the clip in electrical contact therewith if the conductor used is an insulated wire. If a conductor having a terminal such as the so-called banana terminal is used, the terminal is merely inserted in the barrel and makes contact by the spring action of the terminal itself.

The members it] and H are provided at their forward ends with elongated relatively narrow jaws l5 and it, later to be referred to more in detail. The member ill just forwardly of the binding screw I4 is provided with a pair of openings l1 forming a part of the hinge connection between the members Ill and H. The member H at its rear end is provided with a portion l8 of reduced width and having spaced narrow extensions l9 at the end thereof, which, when the members are assembled, pass through the openings ll in the member ID and are clinched beneath the member, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1 to form an economical hinged connection between the members. The members [0 and I I are provided with crossed portions Ill and l l which are interlocked against substantial relative lateral movement, while permitting the pivotal movement of the member in the manner now to be described. The portion Ill of the member Hi is of reduced width with respect to the width of the remainder of the member and passes through a slot 20 in the portion H of the member l l, the width of said slot being such as to receive the portion Ill and allow the same to have prior clips wherein the crossed neck portions of the clip members were not interlocked, it was necessary to form the hinge connection between the members very accurately and to have such connection impart a relative twisting movement to the clip members to bring and to retain the jaws of said members in the proper relationship. This was accomplished by having the openings I'I arranged slightly out of transverse alignment or offset so that when the extensions I9, were passed therethrough and clinched in position, a force would be exerted upon the clip members setting up a relative twisting movement therebetween which acted to bring the jaws into the proper position. It was necessary, because of this misalignment or offsetcondition of the openings I 7, to form such openings very accurately, not only as to their relative positions, but also with respect to their size in order that the proper amount of relative twisting movement would be imparted to the members to bring the jaws thereof into the correct relative position. The use of the interlock between the necks or crossed portions of the clip members, obviates to a large degree the necessity of forming the openings I1 and the extensions or projections I9, so accurately, since even if there is a slight play of the extensions I9 in the openings, the interlocked crossed portions or necks of the members act to maintain the jaws in the proper relative position, hence th'e'interlock cooperates effectively with the hinge construction to reduce the cost of manufacture and facilitate the assembly of the clip members, as well as to maintain the jaws in the desired position during use and to prevent excessive twisting or offsetting of the same. This last feature is important when it is remembered that clips of this character are generally applied to a post with a twisting action, so as to cause the teeth of the jaws to dig into the post.

Inasmuch as the member ID is provided with a very narrow reduced portion or neck Iii having a connection with the remainder of the member which forms a weakened zone, it is imperative that means be provided to strengthen not only the member as a whole, but particularly the portion IIl thereof and the point of connection between said connection and the remainder of the member. Therefore, the member I is provided along its longitudinal edges with flanges 2| which extend from rearwardly of the binding screw I4 the full length of the member and partly along the jaw I thereof to the point 22. The member II is similarly provided along its longitudinal edges with strengthening flanges 23 which extend from the reduced portion I8 of the member to the point 22 on the jaws I6, the points 22 on the jaws I5 and I6 lying in alignment or one above the other.

The flanges 2| and 23 impart the desired and necessary strength to the members and particularly to the portion Ii] of the member I 0 at its point of connection to the member. At the points 22 on the jaws I5 and I6 the flanges 2I and 23 are turned in the reverse direction and form inwardly extending flanges 2I and 23 extending toward each other and having adjacent their outer ends interengaging toothed portions forming the gripping parts of the jaws. The jaws I5 and I6 taper inwardly in width from the points 22 and merge into narrow elongated portions at their outer ends, such narrow elongated portions being substantially coextensive in length with the toothed portions of the flanges 2I and 23, as is clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

It will be noted that the extreme length and narrowness of the jaws I5 and IS, together with the remoteness of the hinge connection between the members I D and II act, during the use of the clip, to subject the jaws to substantial torsional, bending and shearing strains and stresses and, therefore, means must be provided to give the jaws suflicient strength to resist such strains and stresses. To this end the jaws I5 and I are transversely arched, as indicated at 24 in Fig. 3, it being noted that the arched section is the full width of the clip.

The transversely arched cross-section of the jaws I5 and I6, in combination with the flanges 2 I, 2 I and 23, 23 impart to the jaws the desired strength and rigidity to effectively withstand the strains and stresses to which they are subjected during the use of the clip, while the interlock between the portions II] and II prevents excessive twisting or offsetting movement of the jaws and allows the hinge connection between the members to be located at a point remote from the jaws.

A coiled spring 25 arranged between the members I0 and II serves to hold the jaws in close biting engagement, as is well understood.

The clip shown in Figs. 5 to '7 inclusive, is constructed substantially the same as that shown in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, with the exception that its jaws are not of the elongated narrow type, but are relatively broad and short. It is not believed necessary to explain in detail the construction of the second embodiment of the invention, since it corresponds exactly to that above described, with the exception of the jaws as mentioned and with the further exception that the rear extension I2 is provided with ears 25 which may be clinched around the conductor. The jaws I 5 and I6 of the second embodiment, as previously stated, are relatively short and it will be noted that they are not provided with flanged portions corresponding to the flanged portions 2 l and 23 of the first described embodiment, but that the flanges 2| and 23 of the members I II and II do extend along the jaws I5 and I6- substantially to the outer end thereof. The outer end of the jaws I5 and Iii are provided with down turned toothed portions 21, there being no toothed portion along the side of the jaws.

The clip shown in Figs. 5 to 7, inclusive, may be advantageously used for forming any connections located at points easy of access.

Although specific embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, it should be understood that the invention is susceptible of such variations and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

An electrical connection clip'composed of two channeled pivotally connected members having interlocked portions provided with elongated relatively narrow jaws at their forward ends of transverse arched cross-section, the interlocked portion of one of said members being relatively narrow with respect to the width of the member and extending through an elongated slot in the portion of the other member, one of said members having a rearward extension to receive an electrical conductor, the flanges of both Channeled members being continued forwardly along and beyond the interlocked portions thereof and then reversed and extended along the jaws and having intermating toothed portions, the flanges of one of said members being continued rearwa y pas h p ot p nt d pa way a o said last named member to form the pivotal consaid extension, said last named member having ti n between the members, and a spring beadjacent said extension and between the flanges tween said members t normally hold t said thereof a slot and said other channeled member jaw 1 5 having an end portion fitting between the flanges RALPH S. MUELLER.

of the last named member and. provided with a SCOTT MUELLER. iug extending through said slot and bent against 

